


We don't need anything but each other

by Anonymous



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: A lot of HP characters are mentioned in the history and stuff, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, BAMF Minerva McGonagall, BAMF Skye | Daisy Johnson, F/F, F/M, I Will Go Down With This Ship, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parent Melinda May, so if your favorite HP character isn't listed, this is my passion project so I hope y'all like it, trust me they're probably constantly talked about
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:15:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25338217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: A Hogwarts AU following your favorite new ship Dousy/DaisySous as they grow up and navigate the seven years at Hogwarts.Focuses on Dousy, but also has side plots of FitzSimmons, Mackelena, Philinda, and Huntingbird. Takes place eleven years after the second Wizarding War ended at the battle of Hogwarts! Each Year at hogwarts is split into three chapters, resulting in 21 chapters + an epilogue.
Relationships: Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie/Yo Yo Rodriguez, Jemma Simmons & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Lance Hunter/Bobbi Morse, Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons, Phil Coulson & Melinda May & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Phil Coulson/Melinda May, Skye | Daisy Johnson/Daniel Sousa, Yo Yo Rodriguez & Skye | Daisy Johnson
Comments: 19
Kudos: 55
Collections: Anonymous





	We don't need anything but each other

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kaatjedeee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaatjedeee/gifts).



> yes i did do this
> 
> y?
> 
> idk
> 
> inspired by @sporadicsposthideout on tumblr who mentioned it on the group chat  
> Thanks to all of my tumblr mutuals who helped me figure out houses for everybody!!!
> 
> A/N:  
> Modern au as well so it takes place from 2013 to 2020 before quarantine  
> FOR SAKE OF CANON DUMBLEDORE IS LOVED HERE BUT I THINK HE IS A MANIPULATOR DUMBLEDUMB BUT YEA  
> Melinda was one year above Harry in this timeline

Daisy Louise Coulson has always, always, _always_ known she was going to be a Gryffindor.

Over the course of her entire eleven year life, six of which she had a family, her bedroom slowly shifted from having pink and blue walls with stars on the ceiling, fit for a six year old, to dark wood furniture with pastel yellow walls barely visible beneath a mountain of quidditch posters by the time she was eleven. Her broomstick, a Cleansweep 5-0 (Lite model, only children that attended a wizarding school could receive a real broomstick), sat in the corner, not a speck of dust on it on account of her using and practicing with it every day in order to become a seeker for Gryffindor; to make her dad proud. (And be just like Harry Potter. That too.)

Her father had been a Gryffindor, so of course she would be a Gryffindor too. She wasn’t related to him, but that was okay. She had a friend a year older who had also been fostered, then adopted. His adoptive parents had both been Ravenclaw, and when the boy had been placed last year, he’d been put in Ravenclaw as well, to his delight. So why wouldn’t the same thing happen to her?

She watched all of the Hogwarts quidditch games on the television, cheering alongside her father when their favorite house won. (Her Ravenclaw mother would roll her eyes from her comfy spot on the couch with a book and sigh about her quidditch-loving family.)

It just… made sense for her to be a Gryffindor. She was brave and fun and competitive, according to her preschool teacher. (Well, his exact words were more along the lines of ‘reckless’, ‘mischievous’, and ‘combative’, but close enough.)

So when she boarded the Hogwarts Express, the trees and cliffs passing by in a blur as she beamed in excitement, she knew exactly what house she was going to be sorted in.

The dark-haired boy sitting next to her in the train cabin, on the other hand? Not so much.

“Hi. I’m Daniel. Daniel Sousa.” He spoke up for the first time since the train had left platform Nine and Three Quarters an hour ago. He twirled his wand in his hand, studying it, seeming lost. 

“Hi. I’m Daisy Coulson.” She grinned and stuck her hand out for him to shake. “We’re not allowed to have our wands out until classes begin,” she informed him, gesturing to his hands. Daniel’s eyes widened comically and he hastily stuffed the wand back into his backpack before taking her hand. “Thanks,” he mumbled.

“I’m going to be in Gryffindor. What about you?”

He furrowed his brows and shrugged. “I dunno.” He swung his legs back and forth below his seat.

“Well, what house do you want to be in?”

Daniel seemed to think about it for a moment, then shrugged again. “Gryffindor sounds… fun.”

“It is. My dad was in Gryffindor. My mom was in Ravenclaw; she’s super smart, but everyone there is a nerd. Okay, that was mean, I take it back. But they all read a lot an’ stuff. What about your parents?”

At this, Daniel seemed to wilt. “Um, my parents aren’t wizards. They’re- they’re _mubbles_ , I think.”

Daisy gasped happily. “ _Muggles_ ? Awesome!! You’re a muggle-born? My dad is a muggle born. My mom is a legacy. Kind of. Her mom, my grandma, is Lian May; she was an auror and helped Harry Potter escape Voldemort with this guy named Moody. Do you know who Harry Potter is? Wow, you probably don’t know anything about Hogwarts _at all_!” Daisy rambled happily to a smiling Daniel. She quickly began to form an idea in her head of her being his ultimate guide to the wizarding world, and silently thanked fate that she ended up with him in her cabin.

“Uh, no. Not really.”

Daisy opened her mouth to start explaining the houses, but was cut off by the door to their cabin being slid open noisily. An older, cheery lady with a large Honeydukes Express trolley in front of her poked her head in. The Trolley Witch. 

Her mum had told her about the witch, and then her dad had promptly pulled Daisy aside before she left and advised her to buy a lot from the trolley because sweets were hard to come by unless you got a care package, and her mother would never send her sweets in a care package so she wouldn’t ‘pig out while away from home’.

“Would you two like anything to eat?”

“Ooh, frick yessss,” Daisy exclaimed happily, earning a disapproving glare from the woman. “ _Sorry_. Uh, can I have…” she turned to look at Daniel, who was staring at the colorful boxes on the cart in wonder. “Two of each of your most popular treats, please, plus uhhh, four more chocolate frogs?”

“Of course, dear. That will be five galleons, three sickles, and ten knuts.” As the Trolley Witch moved to gather her order, Daniel turned to her. “Galleons? That’s wizarding money, right? I was told in my letter I could trade in my pounds for that money somewhere.”

Daisy nodded. “Yeah. What I just ordered is twenty-five dollars even, but I don’t know how much it is in pounds.” At Daniel’s quizzical look, she giggled. “I’m from the United States. My dad’s from there and my mom is from China, but they both moved to England to go to Hogwarts. After they had me, they moved back to the States to be near my grandma. I could’ve gone to a wizarding school in America, but since my parents went to Hogwarts, so am I.” She grinned. “I’ve always dreamed of coming here. I can’t believe it’s finally time!”

“Are your parents staying in America?”

“Yup. They flew with me over here on a plane to drop me off on the platform, and now they’re heading back, though I think they were planning on meeting with a few old friends before they left.”

“Oh, cool. So are there wizarding schools in America, like Hogwarts?”

“There’s one of eleven around the world. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Scotland, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic in France, Castelobruxo in Brazil, Durmstrang Institute in Europe, Ilvermorny in North America, Mahoutokoro School of Magic in Japan, Uagadou School of Magic in Uganda, and Koldovstoretz Academy in Russia, I think.

“Here you go, you two,” The Trolley Witch handed Daniel the mound of sweets with a smile and Daisy passed along the coins. “Thanks!” she waved as the door to their cabin slid shut.

“Woah. What is this stuff?” Daniel asked in fascination. Daisy pulled the candy boxes out of the pile one by one and displayed them all out on the retractable table in front of them. “Candy,” she answered simply.

She picked up a large slab of wrapped chocolate. “This is probably my least favorite, because it’s so boring. It’s literally just chocolate, but it tastes really good.” She handed the identical second bar to Daniel, who blinked at it. “What?” He asked, visibly confused.

“Take it. It tastes good!” Daniel looked at her, then at the doubles of all the chocolate she’d bought. “Oh, no, no,” he answered hastily, realizing she’d bought it all to share with him. “I can’t accept all of that.”

Daisy rolled her eyes. “It’s fine. I have enough galleons, buying you some candy is nothing, don’t worry. Besides, it’s more fun to eat when you’re sharing it with another person.”

Daniel responded with a smile, but as he took the chocolate from her outstretched hand he responded, “I’ll be paying you back once I convert my pounds to- gallons?” 

Daisy giggled at his pronunciation and sighed. “Whatever.” _He‘ll forget._

“What else is there?”

As she showed him the other various assortment of candies, like the Bertie Botts Every Flavor Jelly Beans (he hated the toothpaste taste, which she inexplicably liked), the Shock-a-Choco balls, and the sugar quills, Daisy found herself connecting with the boy in a way she hadn’t expected. 

She had always had trouble making friends, especially below the age of five; before Melinda and Phil Coulson adopted her, and before she had ever known what it was like to be loved. She’d been alone and abused, and that had turned her into a little bit of a chaotic mess of an uncontrollable child who drove away both foster parents and possible friends. Her parents had shown her love despite her tough and wild demeanor, and had raised her to be kind and loving. Still, the fact that she’d made a friend so easily made her smile to herself.

Finally, they got through the stack of candy to her favorite of all time- chocolate frogs.

“Here you go,” she thrust three of the six into his hands happily. “These bad boys are-"

Before she could explain, Daniel opened one of the navy blue boxes and yelped as the frog jumped out of the box. Daisy stifled a laugh at his expression. 

“Uh- _please_ tell me it was _supposed_ to do that,” Daniel asked her nervously. Daisy nodded and hid a smile as she opened hers, carefully catching the wriggling chocolate before it could hop away with a practiced hand that had opened many just like it before. “It was. Don’t worry, it’s not a real frog,” she added, noting his horrified expression as he craned his neck to see where it had bounded off to under their seats. “Uh, good. Okay.” He nodded vigorously, then gave her an uncertain smile. Daisy rolled her eyes. “It’s just a piece of chocolate re-animated. Anyway, that’s not even the best part.”

Daisy lifted the card from the bottom of the box, not hoping for it to show anyone in particular, as she and her father (much to her mother’s chagrin) had already collected at least two of every card that could come in the chocolate frog box. She flipped it around and grinned at the smiling, animated picture of Nymphadora Tonks. She displayed it to Daniel, who studied it in awe. 

“These collector cards come in every box. It’s all of the really famous and super cool people in the wizarding world. This is Nymphadora Tonks, she died as a hero in the Battle of Hogwarts.”

“The what?” Daniel wrinkled his brow.

“It was the end of the second Wizarding War, though it really only involved England and Scotland, not America or France or Russia; the other three main Wizarding World countries. The good guys won, led by Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom. They’re both the rarest cards. I’ve got two of each,” Daisy told him proudly. 

The second Wizarding war had ended eleven years ago, when she was one year old, after she was dropped off at the only orphanage for wizards in Wisconsin with only a note that said ‘Daisy’.

“Oh. Cool.” He pulled his card out of his box. “I got Luna Lovegood.” He showed her a card of a blonde young woman smiling wistfully and staring off camera at something captivating.

“Ooh, cool. Aunt Luna. She was a Ravenclaw. She was a year younger than my mom, and she’s a good family friend; she visits sometimes.”

“Your mom is friends with a famous person?” Daniel asked, a little in awe.

Daisy shrugged. “I guess, but Aunt Luna doesn’t act like she’s famous. She’s just… family.”

Daniel nodded. “Open the other ones together?” He asked happily. She nodded and started pulling off the clear wrap on the next box.

Daniel ended up being able to successfully catch his third frog before it hopped away. Making a face, he ate it, wheezing in alarm as it squirmed down his throat, making Daisy giggle. 

Daniel’s next two cards ended up displaying Headmaster McGonagall and Sirius Black. Daisy’s two cards were Ron Weasley and Lily Weasley. She explained to Daniel that they were two members of a large family who had helped majorly in the defeat of ‘The Dark Lord’, a title for Voldemort, which had Daniel muttering ‘ _a bit dramatic of a name, of you ask me_ ,’ causing them both to howl with laughter and the people in the cabin next door to them to pound on their shared wall and yell at the pair to pipe down.

As they stopped laughing, Daisy grinned at Daniel. “I think you’ll be a hufflepuff.”

“Yeah? Why’s that?”

“Um. I dunno, you just give me those vibes. You’re nice, I guess.” Daisy shrugged.

“The other houses aren’t nice?” 

“No! Sorry, I worded that wrong. Um, they’re nice, but Hufflepuff is just… nic _er_ I guess.”

“You say ‘I guess’ a lot, d’ya know that?”

“Okay, fine, I think you’re a _slytherin_. Happy?” Daisy pushed him lightly, and they both laughed.

This was going to be a great year with Daniel Sousa by her side.

… 

As soon as the towering castle came into view, Daisy and Daniel had their noses pressed up against the glass and stars in their eyes, likely mirroring every other first year on the train.

“It’s so big,” Daniel whispered. “It’s like it’s from a fairy tale or something.”

“Yeah,” Daisy responded in awe. She’d seen pictures of it from her parents and in the background of viral Hogwarts quidditch videos on MagikTube(YouTube but invisible to muggles), but nothing compared to seeing it up close. Dusk was already starting to fall around them, so Daisy guessed the castle would look even more formidable in daylight. She fumbled her brand new camera from her parents as a parting gift out of her duffle bag and began snapping pictures of it to show to them and her wizard friends back in America.

While in general phones and laptops weren’t allowed on campus because of the interference with magic, cameras were still permissible as they had no effect on wizards and witches.

“You want to get a picture together?” Daisy asked Daniel. He nodded and grinned. “Sure.” 

They both positioned themselves with their backs facing the window and Daisy snapped a selfie of the two, grinning widely. “2013. Our first year at Hogwarts,” she captioned it in the air with her hands spread wide open. Daniel smiled. “Yup. Ours.” 

They exchanged excited smiles as the PA system announced they were approaching the school.

Finally it was time for them to get off the train and onto the boats that would lead them across the lake to the castle. The two made sure to end up sitting next to each other in one of the ten or so boats, squished in among a multitude of other first-years. Professors began pushing the boats off of the shore and introducing themselves to the children they were ferrying.

“I’m Professor Victoria Hand,” the firm, older woman with streaks of red in her hair introduced herself. The lining on her robe was red and gold, meaning she was head of the Gryffindor house. “You won’t be seeing much of me unless you’re in Gryffindor, since all first-years at Hogwarts must take seven core subjects: Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, History of Magic, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Astronomy and Herbology. I teach Muggle Studies, an elective you can choose to take your second year.” Daisy smiled, happy that she was going to have a cool House Head.

“When will we get sorted?” One of the kids asked eagerly, voicing what everyone was thinking.

Hand smiled. “Soon. We just need to take you to the great hall.” She turned around to start leading the boats towards the dock with her wand, just like the other professors. The new students began twittering amongst themselves.

“I hope I get into Ravenclaw,” a girl next to Daisy said nervously, fidgeting with her wand. She had on a worried expression and was biting her lower lip, though excitement still shone through.

“I’m sure you will,” Daisy answered comfortingly. The girl shrugged, then put on a shaky smile. “I’m Jemma, Jemma Simmons,” she introduced herself. Before Daisy could get a chance to respond, a cheeky boy’s face popped out from behind Jemma, sitting on the other side of the girl. “I’m Leo Fitz. Call me Fitz. Jem’ an’ I are best friends.” He blinked at her for a second, then smiled and stuck his hand out for Daisy to shake, and she took it happily. 

“Cool. This is Daniel.” She tugged on her new friend’s sweater sleeve to get his attention. He stared at her blankly before noticing Fitz and Simmons. “Oh. Hi.” He waved shyly. 

“I’m Daisy,” she announced to the two new acquaintances. “We’re all gonna be best friends, I can feel it.”

Jemma and Fitz looked at each other, then back at her, and quickly adopted wide smiles. “We will,” Jemma agreed. The four friends grinned as they quickly approached the newest adventure in their lives, together.

… 

The first years stood in a tight huddle in the middle of the gorgeous great hall littered with floating candles, which Daniel gawked at for a good five minutes until Daisy poked him in the arm to get him to look up front. There were eyes all around them from the older students sitting at their respective tables for their houses. Hand explained it was only required to sit at your table the first day of school; then houses could intermingle. According to Daisy’s parents, it hadn’t always been like that.

The headmaster McGonagall, legendary for her wisdom and strength during the second Wizarding War, stood behind a podium in front. At a long table behind her sat many teachers, some of which Daisy recognized as her mother’s friends. After a welcoming speech, McGonagall brought out the Sorting Hat, a talking hat that was placed on first years’ heads to place them in a house. It’d been used in the school since… forever.

“I have to put that on my head?” Daniel whispered to Daisy, crinkling his nose as students began getting called up to sit on a stool and be placed. “I might get lice.”

She shushed him, suppressing a giggle. Soon, given her surname began with a C, Daisy was called up to sit on the short wooden stool. The rough and worn talking hat went on her head, and it began to make a ‘ _hmm…_ ’ noise, one that only she could hear. 

Daisy furrowed her brow. ‘ _What does that mean?_ ’ she thought. ‘ _Gryffindor; it’s not that hard_.’ When she received no response, she began to get a sinking feeling in her gut. 

After an agonizing moment, the sorting hat asked, ‘ _What is your deepest desire?’_

‘ _To find my birth parents; find out why they abandoned me. Whatever it takes._ ’ It was true. That was a Gryffindor thought, though, right?

‘ _Ah. I see,_ ’ was all the hat said in response, before yelling, “Slytherin!” prompting a cheer to come up from their table.

As the hat was pulled off her head, Daisy tried her best to hide her shock.

Because she was a _Gryffindor_ , not a Slytherin. She met Daniel’s eyes, who was cocking his head as if he wasn’t sure to congratulate her or console her. She shrugged to him, fighting back tears.

Her Dad had said that in the end, the hat was always right. Did that mean she was going become some horrible, conniving per-

No. She couldn’t think that way. There was a Slytherin stereotype that they were all bad, and a rational part of her knew that simply wasn’t true. They were just cunning and loyal, and those traits tended to also apply to some bad people; giving the house a bad reputation. Everyone knew that.

And yet, she couldn’t help but discreetly swipe away tears as she sat down shakily at an empty spot at the slytherin table. Students were clapping her back and introducing themselves, so she plastered on a fake smile but was crestfallen inside. Her dream since she was little had been to play Quidditch as a seeker and be like Harry Potter; a hero.

Now those dreams were dashed.

Well, maybe not. She could still play, just… for a different team. That was okay, right? 

That was okay.

Fine.

She was ripped from her thoughts as a smattering of applause came from Ravenclaw, and up in front of the dining hall, Daisy watched as Jemma beamed and hurried to join them. Daisy felt a brief pang of bitter jealousy that her new friend had gotten the house she’d wanted, but pushed it away in annoyance. She should be happy and stop wallowing in self-pity. Slytherin wasn’t any worse than the other houses, it would just be different than what she’d expected to experience at Hogwarts, that’s all.

Daisy bit her lip. She would break the stereotype. She would help the house to become painted in a better life after it’s rough history. She would be a prefect, then Head Girl, like her mother.

She would prove to everyone exactly how kind and good a Slytherin could be.

…

After being led to the Slytherin common room below the school by a slytherin prefect named Bobbi (‘ _Not Barbara, if you call me Barbara I’ll punch you. Also, you all are so adorable!_ ’) Morse, the first years were sent to their gender-respective dorms to unpack. 

Daisy flopped onto a random bed and took a second to breathe. The dorm was nice, actually. It was all black wood furnishing with bunk beds and dressers, but unlike her expectations, it was brightly lit with light grey walls and paintings done by past slytherins in the The Magic of Art elective. 

A pretty, hispanic girl walked up and knocked her fist on one of the legs of the bunk bed. “Hey. This taken?”

Daisy shook her head as the girl swung her luggage up and over onto the top bed, then climbed up the ladder. “Hi, I’m Daisy.”

“You don’t sound british,” the girl observed from above her without introducing herself. Daisy rolled her eyes. “Neither do you.”

After a moment of rustling from up top, the girl’s head popped out next to Daisy, upside down. She was hanging off of her mattress. Daisy yelped in surprise.

“I’m Elena.”

“I’m Daisy.”

“You said that.”

Daisy raised an eyebrow. “You’re sassy.”

Elena grinned. “I’ve been told. I’m Puerto-Rican, by the way. You?”

“I’m from the United States. I didn’t think there would be that many other kids from other countries, like me.”

Elena’s head disappeared for a few moments, and then she came climbing down and bounded onto Daisy's covers. “I applied for the new out-of-country reviews they’re doing. I think I’m one of ten or so whose applications got in. I spent the last couple of years learning english so I could attend First Year.”

“Oh. I still think it’s unfair that british and scottish people get in with no application. They should be open to everybody from anywhere, like Illvermony. Or at least require applications from everyone.”

Elena shrugged. “It would be hard to teach a student who didn’t know your language.”

“Oh. True. So…” Daisy played with a fray on her bedspread while a cacophony of other first years talking and laughing surrounded the two. “Are you happy you’re in Slytherin?”

“I guess I expected it. People tell me I’m cunning and fast, which are qualities of a Slytherin, according to the internet.”

“Oh.” Daisy wilted a little. Did everybody expect to get placed in their house correctly? Was she the only one who had been so wrong? Did she truly not know herself at all?

“What about you?” Elena nudged her, seeming to have sensed her shift in demeanor. 

“Uh, I thought I’d be in Gryffindor, I guess.” Daisy flushed. Elena sighed. “Oh. Well, it’s good you’re here. I’m not alone as an outsider. And we can be friends, maybe?” They exchanged tentative smiles.

“That would be cool.” Daisy agreed.

After everyone had gotten settled, they were given paper and quills to send letters home to their parents. Daisy wrote about getting in slytherin, and how she was disappointed, but she could still play quidditch if her dad wouldn’t mind her playing for the other team. (She knew he would never mind.) 

She continued to eagerly explain about her new friends, and how she was really excited for Defense Against the Dark Arts; the class that her mother had grown up hating, having had Quirrell her first two years and then more crappy teachers the rest of her time at Hogwarts. In her sixth year, Daisy’s mother had participated in the DA; the Dumbledore’s Army group started by Harry Potter so that they could properly learn spells against the Dark Arts. Apparently their teacher that year had been not only a horrible teacher but an evil person as well.

After Bobbi collected all of their letters and left to go send them all by owl, they were informed they had the rest of the night to do whatever, but they couldn’t be out of their commons after ten.

“It’s eight seventeen. I’m going to go find my friends. Come with?” Daisy asked Elena, who shrugged. “Sure.”

“I’m pretty sure my friend, Daniel, is in hufflepuff,” Daisy explained as they left the dungeon area and entered the long vertical tunnel holding the grand staircase. Most of the people in the paintings they passed were asleep, but a cat meowed at Elena as they passed. “And I think my other two friends are in Ravenclaw. But now I’m not so sure, since I was so wrong about my own placement.”

“Well, we can check,” Elena responded with a shrug. “Wouldn’t hurt,” she said as they passed a couple very tall and intimidating third or fourth years.

After having to wake up more than a few annoyed paintings to find their way to the hufflepuff dormitory next to the kitchens, they reached the front; a bunch of barrels stacked against a large brick stone wall adorned with torches. “So, we need a passcode or what?” Elena asked.

“During classes, it's locked to anybody except for hufflepuffs. But when it isn’t during classes… it should be open…” Daisy dug out the handbook scroll they’d each been given. “It says to tap the barrel two from the bottom, middle of the second row, in the rhythm of 'Helga Hufflepuff', and the lid will swing open.”

They stared at each other.

“The heck is the Helga Hufflepuff rhythm?” Daisy asked, exasperated.

“Don’t worry, you two. You’ll learn all of the traditional songs soon just by hearing them in the hallways and stuff.” A handsome black student sauntered up to them with a grin. “I’m Antoine Triplett, at your service. Call me Trip. I'm in my third year. Judging by your faces, you're in your first?”

The two nodded; Daisy’s eyes growing wide. 

“I can get you in.” He tapped one of the many barrels in a skipping rhythm for a couple of seconds, and the lid of it flipped open, revealing a ladder. Trip saluted the two as a goodbye and climbed into the passage.

The second he was out of earshot, Daisy balked, tugging on Elena’s arm. “That’s Antoine Triplett!” she whispered excitedly. Elena raised an eyebrow at her, unimpressed, so Daisy explained. “He’s a legacy. His father is a legendary auror from France, and his grandfather was also apparently a really good auror.”

“Oh. Okay.” Elena swung her leg over into the barrel and began climbing down the ladder. Daisy sighed at her indifference and followed.

Inside, they found a warm and homey commons with students of all ages milling about… and Daniel, talking to Fitz.

“Hey, guys!” Daisy bounded over to the both of them. They both smiled at her entrance. “Hey, Daisy,” Daniel said happily.

“This is my friend Elena. She's also a slytherin.” Daisy introduced her bunkmate, who waved. “Hi, I’m Elena,” she said.

“Daniel Sousa.” Daisy’s first acquaintance responded warmly.

“I’m Leopold Fitz,” Fitz added.

Elena smiled at both of them, then turned to Daisy. “You said you had a friend in another house?”

“Jemma, in ravenclaw, right?” Daisy turned to Fitz. He nodded, and the four set off to find their missing fifth.

… 

  
  


“I really thought Jemma and I’d be in the same house,” Fitz conversed as they made their way through the halls. “We’ve always been into science an’ stuff, so I thought we’d both be in ravenclaw.”

“Just because you are in Hufflepuff doesn’t mean you aren’t wise or smart,” Elena responded, guessing correctly what he was thinking. “It just means that there are other things that dominate your personality more.”

“Oh. Yea, I guess.” Fitz said as he led them to a spiraling staircase that they began to ascend.

“Same with you,” Daniel nudged Daisy, their shoulders side to side in the narrow stairwell. “I know you wanted to be Gryffindor. It doesn’t mean you aren’t brave, Dais.”

She gave him a smile. “Thanks, D.”

“D? Why’d you call me that?”

“Well, you called me Dais. Only my parents call me Dais.”

“Oh, sorry.” Daniel flushed. Daisy giggled. “It’s fine. Friends can call me that too,” she said, earning a grin from him.

“ _‘D’_ sounds cool too,” he said to her.

“Awesome.”

“We’re here!” Fitz announced, stopping them as they approached a large wooden. “To get in, it’s a riddle. As long as you can defend your answer, you can get in, according to the handbook.”

They waited patiently for a couple of minutes.

“So, is it supposed to do something?” Daniel asked, confused.

Daisy and Fitz shushed him. “It’ll say something soon, I’m sure.”

Elena rolled her eyes. “ _Isso é estúpido_. Just knock.” She moved forwards and grabbed the large bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle and rapped it a few times, jumping back a few feet when the eagle opened its mouth and began to talk.

“ _If there are four sheep, two dogs and one herds-men, how many feet are there?_ ”

Elena stared at it, then turned to the others. “Told you to knock.”

“It’s twenty-eight,” Daisy answered immediately, receiving no response from the eagle. She frowned. “That’s not wrong, is it? Four times four plus two times four plus two…”

“You have’ta explain it, Daisy,” Fitz reminded her.

“Oh. Uh, seriously, I have to explain this? It’s just counting. Sheep have four hooves each, and- oh, _wait_. It’s two, the answer is two, isn’t it? Sheep have hooves and dogs have paws; only the human has feet.”

“ _Sufficient explanation_ ,” the eagle responded before the two double doors opened to reveal a large circular room surrounded by tall walls of bookshelves and desks and various beanbags and comfy seating. It wasn’t as homey as hufflepuff, nor as tastefully decorated as slytherin. These commons were messy and hectic, with various students around the room bouncing ideas off of each other, or chewing on a quill as they hastily finished their summer homework they forgot to do.

“They’re smart, but not very responsible,” Daniel observed to the group. Elena grinned and turned to Fitz. “See? Maybe you don’t have that flaw; that’s why you’re in Hufflepuff.”

“Some ravenclaws aren’t exactly book-smart, just cunning enough to bend the rules to get out of homework, apparently,” Jemma piped up from behind them. They turned around to see her clutching onto a book and beaming. 

“Hey, Jemma!” Daisy waved as Fitz hugged her. “Also, isn’t ‘cunning’ a slytherin trait?”

“Honestly, a lot of the house's traits seem to mix with each other. Ravenclaw is both gryffindor and slytherin mixed with a lot of wisdom and strategy. Also, I think half of the people in here have ADHD,” Jemma twittered. “So, what are you all doing here? And who are you?” she asked Elena.

“I’m Elena Rodriguez. You’re Jemma?”

Jemma nodded.

“Honestly, I just wanted to find everyone and maybe find a quiet place to chat. We have about an hour until we have to be back in our dorms,” Daisy said.

“Wait- I made a friend in Gryffindor; a boy named Mack? We need to go get him first,” Elena said, turning to Daisy. The rest of the group turned to her as well.

“Um, sure,” she answered. “I’m cool with whatever.”

Happy with that answer, they all left the chaotic dome that was the Ravenclaw commons and made their way down the tower staircase to the main floor, where they followed a map to the gryffindor common room- which was much less hidden than the other three. 

“Drama queens,” Elena snorted, seeing the torches and red and yellow banners surrounding the painting of a… larger lady in robes holding grapes. Daisy had to agree with her friend, the flamboyant ‘GRYFFINDOR IS HERE’ was a bit much, but she still wished she could be in the house that her father had been in. (She wouldn’t mind ravenclaw, like her mother, but she knew to her core that she had no strong qualities that a ravenclaw valued, so she never even considered it as an option. Then again, she hadn’t considered slytherin either)

“How does this one open?” Daniel asked. “Please don’t tell me it requires some death-defying stunt or something…”

“Nah. It’s just a passcode, like slytherin. You give it to the…” Daisy balked at the description on the handbook and flushed. “ _‘Fat lady._ ’”

“Yeees?” the painting asked leisurely, making the group jump in surprise. “What’s the pass, you five?”

Daisy blinked, then looked down at the handbook, which magically displayed a weekly-changing passcode reserved only for non-gryffindors, and didn’t work during school hours. “ _Acute Draconis_?” Daisy answered. ‘The Fat Lady’ smiled at them lazily and the painting swung open to reveal a short, carpeted tunnel. They entered, seeing the commons draped in red, yellow, and bookshelves, couches, and a big fireplace.

“Mack!” Elena called out, running over to a taller, broad-shouldered kid who grinned and hugged her back. “Hey!” He looked up and waved at the others. “Hi. I’m Alphonso Mackenzie, but everybody calls me Mack. Except for my brother.”

“Hi, Mack!” the group chorused.

“C’mon,” Daisy said to her new friends. “I know a place where we can chat.” She led them out into the hallway and down the stairs, checking the map every so often before finding the place she’d been looking for.

She pushed open the door, and they all gawked.

The astronomy classroom was where her mother had met her father, late at night when she wasn’t supposed to be out of her dorm. It was a large dome, with a spiral metal staircase in the corner taking the classroom out to an outdoor balcony sector of the castle. Inside the room were various rugs, dark tables, and shelves; all scattered around the floor below a large, circular glass ceiling letting in moonlight from the night sky and its stars.

“Wow, it’s beautiful,” Jemma whispered.

“Yeah. My mom used to come here late at night. It’s the astronomy classroom,” Daisy responded.

The group sat down comfortably on the various pillows splayed out on the rugs and began to talk. They discussed their origins and what they wanted to be when they were older and wiser and could perform magic off of school grounds. They talked so much that they almost forgot their curfew, and after a hasty goodbye, ran to their respective commons.

As Daisy and Elena slipped into their common right as the time turned ten, she smiled, despite barely being able to breathe from sprinting down the stairs.

She could do anything with her friends by her side.

**Author's Note:**

> we just found a baby bird next to our house and idk what to DO
> 
> also i live off of comments and insulin and my insurance doesn't cover insulin well so  
> no I'm kidding  
> kind of  
> comments are appreciated 🥰


End file.
